结直肠癌中DNA甲基化研究进展

CpG岛是人类基因组中富含CpG二核苷酸的DNA序列,主要位于基因启动子区,大小约为100-1000bp,与约60％编码基因相关。DNA中CpG岛甲基化可导致抑癌基因的表观遗传学转录失活,直接参与肿瘤的发生机制。近年来,甲基化已成为表观遗传学研究的焦点。我们简要综述了DNA甲基化在结直肠癌中的研究进展。     

牛ASCL2基因生物信息学分析

在人与小鼠中,A SCL2基因是一个母源表达的印记基因,在早期胚胎和胎盘发育中起重要作用。牛A SCL2基因的印记状态和印记的分子机理还没有被研究。本研究采用生物信息学方法对牛A SCL2基因分子进化、启动子和CpG岛区域以及蛋白的高级结构进行分析和预测,为进一步揭示该基因生物学功能和其分子调控机理奠定基础。对21种哺乳动物A SCL2基因的mRNA序列进化分析表明：这21种哺乳动物间的遗传距离小于0.536,且牛与猪遗传距离最小,为0.106,与基因进化树分析结果一致。CpG岛在线软件预测显示,在牛中,该基因上游5 k序列中有三个CpG岛。启动子在线软件预测和转录因子分析相结合显示,启动子最可能位于该基因5'端上游4725~4775 bp处CpG岛区域内,此区域包括大量潜在转录因子结合位点,并在4734 bp处存在一个TATA框。蛋白质在线软件分析表明,A SCL2基因编码一种螺旋-环-螺旋形转录因子,有α-螺旋、β-转角和无规则卷曲3种二级结构。     

人类全基因组范围的CpG岛的预测与分析

CpG岛的甲基化是表观遗传中基因表达调控的重要机制。虽然目前已存在几个从DNA序列判别CpG岛的标准,但如何在标准中选择合适的参数仍是研究的焦点。文章通过分析比较两种经典CpG岛判定标准与三种预测方法,提出了改进的CpG岛预测方法——CpGISeeker。应用该预测方法,结合判定标准中的三个基本参数组合出的13组组合参数,在人类全基因组范围内进行了CpG岛预测,并统计分析了CpG岛的重复序列组成以及相对于基因转录起始位点的位置分布情况。分析结果表明CpGISeeker具有更精确判定CpG岛的特性;同时还提示,随着判定标准严格性的增加,CpG岛的重复序列含量降低,与基因转录起始位点的相关性提高。将CpG岛最小尺寸为500bp、GC含量为60%、CpG出现率达到0.65的组合参数作为标准,是目前预测CpG岛的最佳方式。     

人Toll样受体9基因启动子区的生物信息学分析

目的:探讨人Toll样受体9(TLR9)基因启动子区序列特征。方法:利用生物信息学技术预测人TLR9基因启动子区域、转录因子结合位点和CpG岛分布。结果:人TLR9基因启动子区有1434个转录因子结合位点,人和小鼠保守区域内存在23个共同的转录因子结合位点,人TLR9基因启动子区包含长572 bp的CpG岛。结论:人TLR9基因启动子区相关生物信息学的研究,提高了针对启动子的研究效率,并为预测基因启动子的功能提供了重要信息。     

CpG甲基化与基因调控

CpG双核苷酸中的胞嘧啶甲基化和去甲基化在哺乳动物的基因表达中有重要的调控作用.哺乳动物基因组中有两类启动子:CpG岛启动子和CpG缺乏启动子.两种蛋白质因子通过与甲基化CpG的相互作用影响基因表达,CpG岛在基因组分析中也有广泛的用途.     

小鼠骨髓细胞中p16和Ralb基因启动区CpG岛的甲基化位点分析

抑癌基因p16和白血病致癌因子Ralb与白血病的发生密切相关,其启动子区CpG岛的甲基化对基因表达具有重要作用.本文旨在分析p16、Ralb基因启动子区CpG岛甲基化位点信息,并比较这两个基因在小鼠骨髓细胞和原代培养的骨髓细胞中甲基化状态的差异.运用"MethPrimer"软件预测p16、Ralb基因启动子区的CpG岛,设计甲基化特异性引物.利用重亚硫酸盐测序法(BSP)检测甲基化位点信息.结果显示,p16有1个CpG岛,岛上21个CpG位点全部未发生甲基化;Ralb有2个CpG岛,CpG岛1上的5个CpG位点全部呈甲基化状态,而CpG岛2上的17个CpG位点全部呈非甲基化状态,且小鼠骨髓细胞和体外原代培养的骨髓细胞中两基因的甲基化状态一致.表明p16、Ralb基因甲基化状态未受外界培养条件的影响而改变,提示在与两基因甲基化相关的研究中体外试验可替代体内试验.     

果蝇启动子区域CpG岛和TATA框预测与分析

CpG岛和TATA框在基因表达调控方面具有重要的作用,本研究从EBI核酸数据库中下载经试验证实的果蝇启动子序列共计1 917条,对其中的CpG岛、GC碱基分布和TATA框进行了分析。预测果蝇启动子序列中CpG岛的最佳参数组合为:GC最低含量为0.44,CpG最低出现率为0.6,CpG岛最小长度为200 bp,在此条件下,发现有84.82%的果蝇启动子中含有1~2个独立的CpG岛。果蝇启动子序列的平均GC含量为39.83%,GC碱基在启动子中的分布表现出规律性变化。果蝇启动子中TATA框的分布比较广泛,有32.86%的启动子中含有1个TATA框;有18.73%的启动子中含有2个TATA框;另有13.88%的启动子中含有2个以上的TATA框;此外,有34.53%的启动子没有TATA框。表明果蝇启动子中有比较丰富的CpG岛和TATA框。     

hMLH1基因启动子CpG岛甲基化致MSI与肿瘤的关系

通过人类错配修复基因( hMLHl)启动子CpG岛甲基化与微卫星不稳定性(MSI)的分析,探讨癌症发病的机制.错配修复基因hMLH1启动子CpG岛甲基化是hMLH1基因失活的重要机制,而hMLH1的表达失活则可导致MSI的产生,促进癌症的发生.根据一系列研究得出结论,在肿瘤组织中hMLH1基因启动子CpG岛甲基化和微卫星不稳定(MSI)有显著相关性,并在癌症早期发生、发展过程中起重要作用.因此临床检测hMLH1基因启动子CpG岛甲基化及微卫星不稳定可能成为癌症鉴别诊断、评价预后、指导化疗的分子标志物之一.     

小鼠EDNRB基因启动子生物信息学分析

EDNRB/EDN3/ECE-1信号传导通路在胚胎发育期神经嵴细胞分化、迁移、发育为神经节细胞的过程中起到关键作用。采用进化足迹法,利用生物信息学在线软件分析先天性巨结肠相关EDNRB基因启动子序列,结果显示:小鼠EDNRB基因定位于14号染色体,编码442个氨基酸,分子量为:49430Da,转录起始点300bp左右可能为启动子区域,启动子区域包含长度为1473bp的CpG岛,存在两段保守序列,人类和小鼠保守区域内含有33个共同的转录因子结合位点。     

Methylation differences of the neuronatin gene promoter region in liver between normal and cloned pigs

Abnormal phenotypes in cloned pigs can be partly due to changes in epigenetic modifications such as methylation levels of promoter CpG islands. Neuronatin is an imprinted gene, conserved in human, pig, cattle and mouse, which is expressed exclusively from the paternal allele. Three CpG islands located in the promoter region of the porcine neuronatin gene have the potential to regulate the gene expression by cytosine methylation. To illustrate whether neuronatin was differentially expressed among nuclear transfer macroglossia–positive and nuclear transfer macroglossia–negative pigs and in vitro‐fertilized pigs, we detected its expression level by qRT‐PCR and further quantified methylation levels by pyrosequencing DNA from the liver. The results showed that neuronatin was expressed at a significantly higher level in livers of nuclear transfer macroglossia‐positive pigs compared with normal cloned and in vitro‐fertilized pigs. Livers of nuclear transfer macroglossia‐positive pigs also had a significantly lower methylation level at CpG island 2 and CpG island 3 in the promoter region.     

Paradoxical methylation of the tyrosine hydroxylase gene in mouse preimplantation embryos

The mouse tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) gene is located in an evolutionarily conserved imprinted gene cluster on distal chromosome 7. It is associated with a CpG island that spans the promoter of the gene. Using a bisulfite sequencing method we show that the Th promoter is fully methylated in both male and female mouse germ cells and in human spermatozoa, suggesting that it belongs to the newly identified category of CpG islands, the similarly methylated regions (SMRs). Contrary to other tissue-specific gene sequences, the mouse Th promoter escapes the initial wave of genome demethylation during the first few cell cycles, but becomes demethylated between the morula and the blastocyst stages. This unusual methylation ontogeny may be a characteristic of the SMRs and/or related to the localization of the Th gene in an imprinted gene cluster.     

Characterization and imprinting status of OBPH1/Obph1 gene: implications for an extended imprinting domain in human and mouse

Human 11p15.5, as well as its orthologous mouse 7F4/F5, is known as the imprinting domain extending from IPL/Ipl to H19. OBPH1 and Obph1 are located beyond the presumed imprinting boundary on the IPL/Ipl side. We determined full-length cDNAs and complete genomic structures of both orthologues. We also investigated their precise imprinting and methylation status. The orthologues resembled each other in genomic structure and in the position of the 5' CpG island and were expressed ubiquitously. OBPH1 and Obph1 were predominantly expressed from the maternal allele only in placenta, with hypo- and not differentially methylated 5' CpG islands in both species. These results suggested that the imprinting domain would extend beyond the presumed imprinting boundary and that methylation of the 5' CpG island was not associated with the imprinting status in either species. It remains to be elucidated whether the gene is under the control of the KIP2/LIT1 subdomain or is regulated by a specific mechanism. Analysis of the precise genomic sequence around the region should help resolve this question.     

基于模糊理论预测CpG岛新方法

启动子区域的CpG岛的异常甲基化是识别癌症的重要标志之一。目前已经建立的一些CpG岛的预测思想和方法都有自身的缺点,基于模糊理论的预测思想从贴进度的角度来判定CpG岛,能更容易地找到被以往方法所忽略的具有更多生物学意义的CpG岛。本研究通过构建属于CpG岛集合的隶属函数,计算候选序列的隶属度,找出所有的可接受隶属程度的CpG岛。将该方法应用于UCSC数据库中的一段序列（hg18．chr1．31618510.31623510.-1000）进行预测,发现提高了预测的精确度。可见应用模糊理论预测CpG岛具有一定的可行性,利用选取不同的截集,可以得到更为精确的CpG岛。